Alyson Kessel’s book on flower arranging, Birkenhead Blooms, was recently launched together with a food and wine pairing session at Birkenhead Villa in Hermanus.
Naturally, the tables at the event were adorned with beautiful flowers. Wine.co.za attended the launch and produced a photo gallery:
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Sunday Times Food Columnist Hilary Biller shares recipes for beetroot and pineapple carpaccio:
INGREDIENTS:
3-6 beetroot, boiled and peeled
2-4 rounds feta cheese
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Smoked salt and black pepper
15ml (1 tbsp) sesame seeds
INGREDIENTS:
Juice of 1-2 large lemons
15ml (1 tbsp) sugar
60ml (4 tbsp) fresh mint, finely chopped
1 large pineapple
Pinch of chilli powder
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VISI magazine has published an extract from Style Icons: Top South African Designers and their Interiors alongside an interview with the book’s compiler, Paul Duncan.
In the interview, Duncan reveals his own favourite designer to be Harpers founder-editor, Willie Landels. The extract, meanwhile, focuses on local design duo, Julian and Trevyn McGowan, the hands and minds behind such projects as Source and Southern Guild.
Who is your ultimate style icon?
A man called Willie Landels who was the founder-editor of Harpers & Queen magazine in the UK. He was my mentor. He introduced me to interiors, decorating, cabbages as tabletop decoration, Roman palaces and the Maharani of Jaipur. He also told me that you can always tell a gentleman by the quality of his trays.
‘We have a mixed background. Julian was a theatre and opera designer; I had an interiors and architectural practice in London called Site Specific, undertaking renovations and redevelopments for clients with nice budgets and good imaginations, like Clive Owen, Rachel Weisz, Gerard Butler and Sir Ian McKellen. When we returned to South Africa about six years ago, we established the company Source, working from our home in the Wilderness.
We came home to rediscover what South African design was all about. We had utilised it in our work in London, importing products for clients, and what began as an interest, grew into an absolute passion for local design. Now one of the primary functions of Source is providing South African products to the international marketplace. We started with the Conran Shop in London and then Anthropologie in the United States. Other clients include Urban Outfitters, Jamie Oliver, ABC Carpet & Home, Bergdorf Goodman, the Soho House Group and Firma Casa in Brazil. We have also collaborated on international exhibitions of South African design with Sir Terence Conran, Keith Johnson and Li Edelkoort.
- Keep reading (pdf download)
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Photo courtesy VISI
Struik Lifestyle, an imprint of Random House Struik, is the South African winner of five Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for 2011, which now qualifies them for the “Gourmand Best in the World” competition. The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau and every year they honour the best food and wine books.
The Struik Lifestyle titles that won include:
ZHOOZSH! FAKING IT BY JEREMY & JACQUI MANSFIELD
In the Category: Best Easy Recipes
Published: April 2011
ISBN: 9781770078659
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SPRINGBOK KITCHEN BY DUANE HEATH & WARREN HEATH
In the Category: Best Fund Raising Book – Africa
Published: June 2011
ISBN: 9781770078963
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BRAAI BUDDY 2 BY DE WAAL DAVIS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY COLIN DANIEL
In the Category: Best Cookbook Illustrations
Published: September 2011
ISBN: 9781770079335
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HELP! THERE’S A STOVE IN MY KITCHEN BY ANNABEL FRERE
In the Category: Best Design for Professionals
Published: October 2011
ISBN: 9781770079373
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SAVOUR BY MARC HIRSCHOWITZ, KAREN ALSFINE, ESTELLE SACHAROWITZ
In the Category: Best Cookbook Photography
Published: November 2011
ISBN: 9781770078277
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The winner in each country will compete against winners in the same category in other countries for the title of “Best in the World”. The results will be announced on the 6th of March 2012 at the annual Awards event in Paris.
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Hilary Biller throws together some non-alcoholic thirst quenchers perfect for summer:
FRUIT PUNCH
Combine tea, juices and sugar and chill thoroughly. Just before serving, add ginger ale, soda water, ice, lemon and mint.
Makes about 5 litres, but the recipe can be halved or quartered.
FRUITY ICED TEA
Toss the fruit in lemon juice. Add the fruit juice, sugar and ginger and pour into a large jug. Add the mint, lemon and cold tea. Add ice and serve.
Makes about 2.5 litres.
ICED COFFEE
The French introduced coffee to Indochina, where they served it chilled with sweetened condensed milk due to a shortage of fresh milk.
Divide the condensed milk between 4 cups and top with the coffee, stirring to dissolve. Serve with long spoons and tall glasses, each containing 4 ice cubes. The tradition is to pour the hot coffee over the ice cubes and stir briskly before enjoying.
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Die susters Zuretha Roos en Annalie Nel, wat die kookboek Roast Duck on a Sunday saamgestel het, het aan Karla Janse van Vuuren vertel dat hulle goed saamwerk, omdat kosmaak vir hul albei ‘n kreatiewe proses is.
Hulle het drie weke lank al die resepte vir Roast Duck on a Sunday in Roos se kombuis getoets en aan die einde van ‘n lang dag hulself met ‘n heerlike ete en ‘n glas wyn beloon. Lees die onderhoud en ‘n resep vir hoenderborsies gevul met feta wat die susters met Janse van Vuuren gedeel het:
Waar kom jul liefde vir kos vandaan?
“Eers, om eerlik te wees, was dit bloot ’n liefde vir eet aan ma se lekker kos! Ons kon nie kook toe ons uit die huis uit is nie.
Maar as ’n mens as kind goed en gesond geëet het, dryf die lus vir goeie kos jou later na kookboeke en oproepe na ma, veral as jy trou en jou man moet darem eet.
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Marc Hirschowitz, one of the authors of Savour, appeared on the magazine show, Top Billing, earlier this year. A series of Hirschowitz’s own recipes can be found on the Top Billing website including this one for a classic, tangy Roquefort Salad:
Ingredients:
Make the dressing the day before.
Dressing:
1 spring onion, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup cream
1 Tbsp anchovy sauce or 2 anchovies, minced (optional)
¼ cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
¾ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Top Billing hosts Marc Hirschowitz:
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In this Q&A for Times LIVE, Jeremy Mansfield, author of Zhoozsh! Faking it, talks about his best and worst holiday destinations:
Where did you spend your last holiday?
In the bush at Nkelenga, a self-catering tented camp in the Thornybush private game reserve.
What was the best thing you did while there?
Stood next to the pool with mates, holding a beer while a huge male lion walked past the lodge about 20m from us. You suddenly realise we are not the top of the food chain.
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In celebration of the third edition of Keith Kirsten’s classic Gardening with Keith Kirsten, which was recently released, House and Leisure brings you ten indispensible gardening tips from the green fingers of South Africa’s foremost “gardening guru”:
1. Have the right tools to garden with. Essentials are: spade, fork, hand trowel, fork, secateurs, loppers, rake, hosepipe and watering can.
2. Preparation is key: Dig decent sized holes for plants and dig over garden beds thoroughly before planting.
3. Compost, manure and bone meal are essential when planting and should be worked into the soil before planting.
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Gardening with Keith Kirsten has been completely revised. It remains a practical, illustrated guide that is suitable for all gardeners, from novice to experienced, but has been updated to incorporate new plant species that will flourish in South African gardens.
Please join us at Exclusive Books Hyde Park tonight, 7 December, as we host Keith Kirsten to celebrate the third edition of this ever-popular gardener’s manual. See you there!
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